Celebrating 50 Years with Dudley Randall: Poetry Prizes

Celebrating 50 Years with Dudley Randall: Poetry Prizes

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Dudley Randall Poetry Prize, awarded each year to Detroit Mercy undergraduate poets. This is also the first year of the Dudley Randall High School Poetry Prize, awarded to current high school students. Submissions will be accepted for Detroit Mercy undergraduates through Monday, Feb. 10 and through Monday, Feb. 24 for high school students.

Winners of the 2020 Dudley Randall Poetry Prizes will receive:

  • 1st Prize: $150
  • 2nd Prize: $75
  • 3rd Prize: $50

Sponsored by the Detroit Mercy English Department, the Dudley Randall Poetry Prizes honor the late poet, publisher and University of Detroit Mercy librarian and poet-in-residence. A staunch advocate for student writers, Dudley Randall inaugurated the Poet-in-Residence awards in 1970 and served as judge for thirty years, until his death in 2000.

Download the 2020 entry form and submission instructions for Detroit Mercy undergraduates.

Download the 2020 entry form and submission instructions for high school students.

Note: Both entry forms are fillable PDFs that should be filled out and submitted by email along with your poem.  See the poems of recent winners here or peruse prize-winning poems from 1970 here.

Learn more about Dudley Randall, the Broadside Press, and the university’s special collection of Randall’s papers and books online.